An inspiring list has emerged of an M2 Bradley infantry combating automotive (IFV) captured by Russia and fitted with a Russian-made 30mm cannon in space of the automotive’s usual Bushmaster M242 25mm automated cannon. Whether or no longer the installation is supposed for operational utilize, for trials, or for some numerous reason is unclear, but numerous unorthodox adjustments to armored vehicles possess seemed since the starting up up of the battle in Ukraine.
The Bradley viewed within the list is probably the most examples captured largely intact by Russia from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The plot and date of the list are unknown, as is the usual source, however the Bradley in query appears to be to be in a depot alongside numerous Western-supplied armor captured from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
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Some puzzled how can Russians utilize the Bradley within the occasion that they make no longer possess ammo for it. Smartly, that is how:
“Russian repairmen installed a domestic 30mm 2A72 cannon on a captured Bradley instead of the chain-driven Bushmaster.” pic.twitter.com/m4SZhfVKQe
— SIMPLICIUS Ѱ (@simpatico771) June 12, 2025
You might want to probably possibly well probably be taught all about the Bradley and what it brings to the strive towards in Ukraine in this previous characteristic of ours.
Most curiously, Russian technicians possess changed the Bushmaster with what appears to be to be a 30mm 2A72 cannon, probably top identified as the first gun of the BTR-82 wheeled armored personnel carrier.
The 2A72 is a decreased-weight construction of the extensively frail 2A42, also a 30mm weapon, which arms the BMP-2 infantry strive towards automotive, BMD-2 and BMD-3 airborne strive towards vehicles, BTR-90 armored personnel carrier, to boot to Ka-52 Hokum and Mi-28 Havoc assault helicopters.
The 2A72 has a rate of fire of 330 rounds per minute, sending its ammunition to an efficient differ of nearly a mile towards an armored automotive. This is an awfully sooner rate of fire than the already spectacular 200 rounds per minute finished by the Bushmaster.
Against gentle targets, equivalent to infantry, the efficient differ of the 2A72 is elevated to round 1.2 miles. Ammunition alternate suggestions encompass armor-piercing-tracer (AP-T), high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary (HEF-I), and high-explosive-tracer (HE-T) ammunition.
A Russian Ministry of Protection video presentations the 2A72 gun in action on a BTR-82A for the length of an exercise:
As for the Bushmaster, that is a weapon that we now possess talked about sooner than, within the context of the Bradley being frail in Ukraine. The Bushmaster can fire two numerous types of ammunition, fed from packing containers by job of chutes into the autoloader. The gunner, sitting to the left of the tank commander, can flip a switch to study between high-explosive (HE) rounds to strike frivolously armored vehicles or depleted uranium (DU) armor-piercing sabot rounds to hit more heavily armored vehicles adore IFVs and even tanks. The gunner would possibly possibly probably possibly additionally make a choice out between single- or multiple-shot modes.
“Our DU rounds can actually hit one facet of an armored personnel carrier or infantry combating automotive (adore a BRDM or BMP) and exit the various facet and must possess ample kinetic drive to disable one more one,” one armor expert instructed TWZ, talking on condition of anonymity.
Smartly-identified videos show Ukrainian Bradleys firing 25mm rounds from their Bushmaster guns at a Russian T-90M necessary battle tank from relatively shut differ:
There are three stuff you would possibly possibly probably possibly well look eternally. Luxuriate in this Ukrainian M2 Bradley IFV obliterating a «no-analogue» russian T-90M tank.
— Protection of Ukraine (@DefenceU) January 18, 2024
Greater quality footage of a pair of Ukrainian M2A2 Bradley IFVs from the forty seventh Mechanized successfully dueling a Russian T-90M in Stepove, disabling it, with a apply up FPV munition strike causing the crew to abandon the damaged automotive. pic.twitter.com/Vor8IuVlBZ
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 13, 2024
More than 300 examples of the M2A2 ODS version of the Bradley were supplied to Ukraine by the united states from April 2023 onwards. In step with the Oryx starting up-source tracking neighborhood, which only records losses that it has visual confirmation of, finally 12 Ukrainian Bradleys were captured by Russian forces, and powerful of more were abandoned after having been damaged or were outright destroyed. A minimal of probably the most abandoned but accumulated intact vehicles can possess chanced on their plot into Russian hands, too, and can were repaired.
One which you would possibly possibly probably possibly well factor in reason on the wait on of the modification would possibly possibly probably possibly well repeat to the Russian operational utilize of captured Bradleys.
There would possibly possibly be evidence that Russia has been making some restricted utilize of captured Bradleys on the battlefield. A minimal of one legitimate video presentations Russian troops from the Heart Military Community running a captured Bradley, after it used to be returned to working uncover, having been disabled by a mine. Once in Russian carrier, the automotive used to be fitted with extra anti-drone safety ‘cope cage’ round the head of the hull.
A screencap from a video exhibiting a captured Bradley in Russian carrier. Russian Ministry of Protection screencap
In that identical video, a Russian soldier explains that the Bradley is prized, above all, for its heavy armor, the scale of its troop compartment, and its sophisticated fire-regulate system.
One other soldier states that they like the 30mm gun on the BMP-2 to the Bushmaster, indicating that the usual American gun is accumulated fitted to the automotive, even supposing its utilize would possibly possibly probably possibly well be restricted by the restricted supply of the correct ammunition.
Gunner ‘Molfar’, 39, a Bradle crew member of the forty seventh Magura Mechanized Brigade who took phase within the combating to liberate Robotyne village from Russian forces, is pictured internal his automotive, Zaporizhzhia route, southeastern Ukraine. Protest by Ukrinform/NurPhoto by job of Getty Pictures
Clearly, finally some frontline Russian units take into story it functional to operate captured Bradleys, even within the occasion that they could probably possibly be only a pair of in quantity, without a supporting logistics chain or ammunition stockpiles.
Lets additionally be a take a look at installation to gaze whether or no longer it’s seemingly to re-arm the Bradley with a Russian necessary gun.
It might probably probably possibly well even be supposed for propaganda purposes, with the Russian gun standing in for the Bushmaster in declare that the automotive would possibly possibly probably possibly well be demonstrated in parades or in collections of captured Western equipment.
Captured Bradleys (with usual guns) were displayed among battle booty in Russia sooner than, as you would possibly possibly probably possibly well discover about right here. Taking into story the accepted nature of all these exhibitions, this would probably possibly even be basically the most probably rationalization.
Crowds of onlookers greet a captured Bradley on a rail-inch propaganda tour of Russia. by job of X
There would possibly possibly be also a precedent for adjustments being made to the usual guns on captured armor, with one M1A1 Abrams necessary battle tank being displayed in Russia with the damaged barrel reinstalled upside-down.
As neatly as serving propaganda purposes, captured Bradleys are also offering Russia with a possibility to obtain a more in-depth sight at Western armor. Just just recently, Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Russia’s suppose-shuffle protection conglomerate Rostec, criticized a quantity of numerous Western armored vehicles frail by Ukraine, including the Bradley, in an interview on the corporate web plot.
Although Chemezov also highlights the Bradley’s factual level of crew safety and internal layout, he expresses doubts about its tactical effectiveness.
“Some consultants, including ours, reward the Bradley. In my sight, that’s unjustified enthusiasm. We seemed at it from every facet: inch, it has some positives in phrases of safety and troop compartment comfort. But that doesn’t finish our weapons from destroying the automotive along with its crew and passengers,” he acknowledged.
A Ukrainian soldier is viewed shut to a Bradley in Avdiivka, Donbas, Ukraine, on December 4, 2023. Protest by Marek M. Berezowski/Anadolu by job of Getty Pictures Protest by Marek M. Berezowski/Anadolu by job of Getty Pictures
Chemezov extra criticizes the Bradley’s off-freeway mobility and lack of amphibious functionality (something that is a standard phase of the originate ethos of Russian IFVs).
“The Bradley has a predominant used space: problems with mobility,” Chemezov continues. “It struggles off-freeway and will get stuck in gloomy soil, changing into a straightforward target due to its gigantic measurement. And what’s the utilize of greater safety if the live result’s the an identical? In terms of all Bradleys dropped at Ukraine were destroyed. We possess got to protect in mind, an IFV will not be any longer a tank. It must be hasty, cell, and in a position to crossing rivers unaided. Our IFVs can maintain that, the American ones can no longer.”
Of route, Chemezov’s comments are very heavily colored by the truth that his job is to promote rival protection equipment both to the Russian suppose and to a diminishing want of international customers. There are, within the interim, multiple documented circumstances of Ukrainian Bradleys surviving multiple instruct hits and withstanding the outcomes of drone strikes or mines. The very fact that Russia is even in a position to capture damaged vehicles and obtain them working again is also a testomony to their sturdiness.
On the various hand, Chemezov is magnificent to suppose that Ukrainian Bradley losses were heavy. In step with figures from Oryx, there is documented evidence exhibiting 177 Ukrainian Bradleys destroyed, damaged and then abandoned, or captured. But as lengthy as workable Bradleys would possibly possibly probably possibly well be salvaged by Russia, they are usually build to make utilize of, even though only on an ad-hoc basis.
Whereas it’s unlikely that Russia will have the choice to assemble a speedy of Bradleys gigantic ample to warrant a more huge program to rearm them with domestically produced guns, the appears to be of finally probably the most IFVs with a Russian-made 30mm cannon fitted is with out a doubt a necessary novelty.
